Sonja van Hamel is a singer, songwriter, illustrator, designer -- an artist with many avenues of expression, all of which reflect her playful, adventurous spirit and contemporary design aesthetics.
Sonja graduated in 1999 from the Gerrit Rietveld Art Academy (Amsterdam). In the same year she formed the group Bauer together with Berend Dubbe (ex-Bettie Serveert). Their album “Can’t Stop Singing” (2000) won the prestigious Dutch Silver Harp Prize. Bauer mixed 1960s influences (Beach Boys, The Free Design) with contemporary influences (Stereolab, High Llamas) to form a sound with lush melodies, modern samples and electronic beats, and vintage electric piano, Mellotron and analogue synths. The group’s final album, “The Bauer Melody of 2006” was recorded live with the Metropole Orchestra, the most experimental radio and TV orchestra in Europe.

Sonja’s first solo project was “Winterland”, composed as the soundtrack for a film by Dick Tuinder, and released as an album in 2009. Her new album “Transcendental Man” produced by Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, R.E.M., Big Star) and JB Meijers (De Dijk, Solomon Burke) will be released on October 17th 2011 on Basta Music.

Sonja’s current musical presentation is a concept she calls “Draw Clips” -- the songs are illustrated by her own drawings that move and travel in time with the music, thanks to ingenious mechanical inventions by renowned photographer Eddo Hartmann. The result is a real time, live video accompanying Sonja’s live performance.

Sonja’s live band contains some talented musicians: producer Ken Stringfellow on guitar, keys and vocals, Diets Dijkstra (ex-Johan) on bassguitar, Annie Tangberg (Metropole Orchestra) on cello and Mark van den Driest (ex-Coparck) on drums. Sonja will sing and play her beloved Wurlitzer piano, more keys, including an exclusive instrument called “Guitaret”.

Cool interview on Different Class radio, You and the Night and the Music with Adrian Arratoon! Interview with Sonja (at 1:12)

SONJA VAN HAMEL - WINTERLAND (2009)

Drawings by Dick Tuinder
Design by Sonja
Take a closer look at the booklet

I'm also on MySpace
You can order my cd here